Reflection for Friday November 11, Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop: Luke 17:26-37

Gospel: Luke 17:26-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.  

So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. 

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of the end times? Of course, we all are, Jesus mentions frightening scenarios in our gospel reading for this Friday. He mentions similar destructive occurrence like in the days of Noah where everyone on the face of the earth were wiped out except for Noah and his group. 

The same destruction happened in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah where the people there became very sinful. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah committed despicable sins such as sexual sins, thus earning the wrath of Yahweh.     

Our own respective end time will come to us; we cannot prevent it from happening for this is the nature of our life. But do we hold in our hands what kind of end time and life after our end time we would have? If it would be a hellish end time or a heavenly and peaceful end time? We don’t know. However, what Jesus mentioned to the disciples in the gospel is a fair reminder for all of us to straighten our lives. 

Let us leave behind everything that makes and influence us to sin while we still have the luxury of time. Let’s seriously reflect on this call of Jesus to repentance, sin has done nothing good to us. It made our lives miserable and if we would not leave it behind us it would further make our lives more miserable until it completely destroys us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas